First Trustbank Cup Defence

At 11:00am on Saturday 30th July on St Bede's No.1. Also filmed and live on Sky Sports.

Round 12 of the Miles Toyota 1st XV Championship 2022

St Bede’s College 1st XV recent history v Nelson:

• 2021: Lost by 10 v 12

• 2020: Won by 35 v 27

• 2019: Lost by 18 v 20

• 2018: Won by 27 v 19

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Nelson College:

• Founded 1856 - the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand

• Motto: Pietas, Probitaset Sapientia; (Loyalty, honesty and wisdom)

• Roll: 1100+

• Miles Toyota Championship:

Semi-finalist: 2012, 2016, 2017

Runner-up: 2002, 2004, 2005,2009, 2011, 2013, 2014

Champions: 2007, 2019, 2021

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St Bede’s College:

• Founded 1911

• Motto: Fide et Opere; (By Faith and By Works)

• Roll: 800+

• Miles Toyota Championship:

Semi-finalist: 2003, 2013, 2018,2019, 2020, 2021

Runner-up: 2007, 2012

Champions: 2008, 2009, 2010,2011, 2015

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Points of interest:

• Nelson College opened as a school with eight students in 1856 in premises in Trafalgar Square, Nelson. Becoming the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. In 1861, the school moved to its current site in Waimea Road. Nelson College boasts many notable Old Boys. Including Ernest Rutherford, a world-renowned Nobel Prize winning physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics. Rutherford performed the first artificially induced nuclear reaction in 1917 discovering the subatomic particle he named the proton. In1932 the first experiment to split the nucleus of an atom (in a fully controlled manner) was performed by students working under his direction. After his death in 1937 he was buried near Sir Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey, London. Another very notable Old Boy of Nelson College was Charles Munro. Monro is widely accepted as being responsible for bringing rugby to New Zealand. He attended Nelson College from 1863to 1865. Munro became familiar with the sport of rugby at Christ's College in Finchley near London, which he attended from 1867 to 1869. Monro introduced the game under the 1868 rules of rugby and with the new Gilbert oval ball to the Nelson Football club in 1870. The first game was played between Nelson College "The Gown" and Monro's club "The Town" at the Botanics ground at 2pm on 14 May 1870. The Town won2-0 in a 20 a side affair. Four months later Monro's commitment to establishing rugby in New Zealand was such that he organised, selected, and coached aWellington team, played for a Nelson team, and refereed the first game in the North Island at Petone on 12 September 1870. By the following year, the game had been formalised in Wellington, and subsequently rugby was taken up in Wanganui and Auckland in 1873 and Hamilton in 1874. In 1875, the first representative team was formed, being a combined-clubs Auckland team, which toured the South. It is thought that by the mid-1870s, the game had been taken up by the majority of the country. The latter stages of the 1870s saw the emergence of a more formal structure, with Unions being formed in both Canterbury and Wellington during 1879. In 1892 the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU) was established, to act as the national governing body of the sport. Prior to that, in 1876, the first ever inter-College rugby match in New Zealand was played between Nelson College and Wellington College.

• The St Bede's and Nelson College rivalry, whilst fierce, has actually only been of this century. The advent of the Crusaders 1st XV championship has seen the two schools playing regularly. Behind Christchurch BHS (on 11) these two teams are the only other schools to win multiple championships, with St Bede's next best on five and Nelson on three. The two teams have met three times in the championship final.

+ In 2007 Nelson won 31-26. It was Nelson's first title having previously lost three finals to Christchurch BHS. This is a match report from that game: "Played in Nelson, in front of an estimated crowd of 3000 spectators, Nelson surged to a 21-5 lead after just 15 minutes; Ricky Kennett, Sam Westerna and Mitchell Thwaties scored tries, all converted by James Lash. St Bede’s surged back to tie the game, 21-21 with 22 minutes left. St Bede’s tries were scored by Jason Morgan, Hamish Catherwood and Alex Ryan. Lash kicked a penalty to edge Nelson ahead before replacement winger Kim Bateman went over for the try that sealed Nelson victory. Nelson won 19 of 22 games in 2007, making the National Top Four for the only time in the school’s history."

+ In 2009 the two teams once again met in the final This time St Bede's were the defending champions and they went back-to-back. The match report read: "The final was played at Rugby Parkin Christchurch. St Bede’s won a comprehensive victory by 32-6 scoring five unanswered tries. Tyson Kamo collected two, Michael Stewart and Logan Taylor scored one each with Taylor adding three conversions and two penalties. StBede’s won 18 games in a row on course to the National Top Four Final which they lost to Hamilton Boys’ High School".

+ In 2011, St Bede's were going for a 4-peat as defending champions. Here is the match report: "St Bede’s College bullied their way to a fourth consecutive title by beating Nelson College 30-12. The larger St Bede’s forwards recycled the ball quickly, allowing their dangerous backs quick,go-forward ball. Jesse Bryant (2), Moses Faletolu and Misimoa Lamositele scored tries with Hagen Schulte kicking two conversions and two penalties. For Nelson College, openside Steve Soper was impressive and bullocking prop ConnorMcKinnin-Stevenson’s runs were well worth watching. Soper and Latham Jones scored tries for Nelson. St Bede’s went onto to make the National Top Four for a fourth consecutive time. They finished third equal."

• Since 2006 both St Bede’s and Nelson have only failed to qualify for the semi-finals three times. St Bede’s in 2014, 2016, 2017 and Nelson 2015, 2018, 2020. In 2013 Nelson inflicted a painful loss on St Bede's. Heading into that match, the 2013 championship semi-final, St Bede’s was unbeaten on their home ground for 62 consecutive matches. Nelson, reversed the result of the round robin match played the previous week. Bede's were up at halftime, yet the visitor’s courtesy of five penalties by Finn Hart-Strawbridge scored a stunning 15-13 victory. It was also St Bede’s only loss that year. With no chance of redemption, it also denied St Bede’s a seventh consecutive crusaders championship final appearance.

• It is a curious fact that all of St Bede’s Trustbank Cup tenures have either started or finished with a match against Nelson College. The last time St Bede’s held the Cup was in 2020. St Bede’s beat Nelson 35-27 in a pulsating match to reclaim the trophy. The Trustbank Cup began life as the trophy for the New Zealand Schools Champion – then gifted to the South Island to be their version of the National Challenge Cup (the Moascar Cup). Unlike the Moascar this is played for every game between 1st XVs, home or away. The first match was played in 1994 between Southland Boys and Otago Boys and won by OBHS 34-10. Since then, it has been played for 329 times. Key statistics are:

+ Most Trustbank Cup wins: OBHS (84), CBHS (69) and St Bede’s (59)

+ Longest winning streak: St Bede’s College (27) - 28/6/08 to 8/5/10, CBHS (26), OBHS and St Bede’s (19).

+ Most times taken - CBHS (13), OBHS (12), Southland Boys (8).

+ Number of South Island Schools that have held the trophy (14), with five from the Highlanders region (being Otago BHS, Southland BHS, John McGlashan, Waitaki BHS, King’s High School). Crusaders region schools (and their total wins) are: Christchurch BHS (69), St Bede's (59), Nelson College (27), Christ’s College (12), Timaru BHS (10), Marlborough Boys (9), St Andrew’s (5), Rangiora (2) St Thomas’ (1).

• Since 2018 Nelson College has had an enviable postseason record and has been the most successful school in the region winning both their semifinals and going on to become the Crusaders and South Island champions twice (in 2019 and 2021). During the regular season during this period, St Bede’s has forged the best record of any school –with the most wins and the highest winning percentage overall. Yet Nelson and Bede’s have not met in the postseason since 2013, with St Bede’s failing in four consecutive semi-finals since 2018.

• The annual games have been great arm wrestles. The victor since 2016 has been the home team. Their last matchup was back in May 2021, in round three and an away game for Bede's. Nelson won the match 12-10, but near the end of time St Bede’s narrowly missed taking a share of the spoils. A well struck side-line conversion, bent back toward the uprights but not by enough, sliding just past. It was an enthralling match. Nelson’s start was electric, they were up by 12 points in as many minutes. Bede’s responded strongly and for the next three quarters had the best of possession and territory. St Bede’s would later rue turning down six kickable penalties throughout the match, each time coming away with nothing before getting across the chalk twice in the last quarter. St Bede’s went on to top the 2021 championship league round robin table with Nelson finishing second. An anticipated return match (from a Bedean perspective) and championship final between the two teams never eventuated. St Bede’s were upset (23-26) in their semi-final by the 4th seed, Christ's College. Nelson beat Timaru BHS (22-10) in their semi-final and then Christ's (22-20) in the championship final to win their third Crusaders Schools 1stXV title.

• In terms of form in 2022. St Bede's have extended their winning streak in the competition to nine matches, with competition leaders St Thomas next with seven on the trot. Nelson is coming off a two-point loss to St Thomas'. That was the Sky TV match last Saturday. Sky’s statistics showed Nelson to be ahead on most counts, except the scoreboard at the final whistle. St Bede's sole loss this season was also against St Thomas but back in round one in early May. Three months later St Bede's and St Thomas' have fashioned the same competition winning record of 9:1. Nelson and Christchurch BHS are the other two in the top four and both have 8:2 records so far. Despite St Bede’s having the better winning record, Nelson remains ahead of St Bede's on the competition ladder. This is due to bonus points, with the competition rules allowing teams to pick up two bonus points even when losing. Nelson has managed that twice, alongside bonus points in every game won. St Bede's failed to do that during the first four rounds. But has since, whilst also denying opponents any competition points. The current top four will be the semi-finalists in 2022. All possible final standings remain possible heading into round twelve, although some permutations are more likely than others (barring upsets). St Bede's and Nelson are playing for home ground semi-final advantage, with the winner of Saturday's match guaranteed to move ahead of the other on the competition ladder, and of course the Trustbank Cup.